Starlit Nights Under a Greek Moon
by FireLadyMai1994
Summary: This is one of my many stories that I'm currently writting. It was inspired by Lena's adventures in Greece in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. The characters in my story have no relation to them though. Enjoy and review please!
1. Prologue

Prologue

Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get.

So goes the story of my life. My life has been anything but ordinary. I grew up a normal kid in an upper- middleclass family. My dad was a lawyer and my mom was a doctor. Which meant lots of money. Which in turn meant, I got everything I wanted. I was never spoiled though. Oh no. My parents taught me that to be successful in the world I had to work hard at it. Nothing was ever handed to you. I put that to the test in saving up for my horse. Most girls go through a "horse crazy" phase at least once in their lives. Mine set in when I was fourteen. One of my best friends in high school had horses. I was in love the moment I saw them. So my goal was to buy and off the track racehorse. I worked odd jobs for anyone who needed anything done. I did everything from washing cars to catching pigs. Catching a pig is not something I want to relieve. Boy those things can kick. Anyway, after a year of saving I got her, my dream horse. Her name was Belladonna. What a perfect name for my lady. And what a lady she was. She had an almost regal air about her. She would have been royalty had she been human. In the horse world though, she was blue-blooded royalty. Her grandsire was Seattle Slew, something much to be said in the racehorse world. After I had raised ten thousand dollars, we flew from our home in San Antonio, Texas to Kentucky. That's where I first met Belle. She was perfect in every way. I've had her ever since.

Back to my life now. So I had a pretty normal life during my grade- school days. I got good grades, but not by chance. I studied hard every night.

Then came middle school. It wasn't much different than grade school. The only different thing was that we changed classes every day. Which wasn't all that difficult in all reality. Middle school flew by.

High school was when things got all flipped around. I met my soul mate of best friends there, Tanya. She was the pretty girl that no one seemed to like. So I befriended her. Then Joey joined our little circle. He was my first boyfriend. We broke up after three years. Quit a while to be going out. Pretty normal though. Tanya convinced me to play soccer my sophomore year and I agreed, for her sake. She was good. She'd been playing soccer forever. During tryouts though, I nailed everything from passes to dribbling to shooting. I nailed it all and I'd never even played before. I was stunned. I was varsity teams best player.

Then came graduation. That was a day of tears and hugs and pieces of paper. Tanya and I had been accepted into Harvard along with Joey. We were studying to become doctors. I decided to play soccer on the side.

My first semester at Harvard was great. I loved the countryside and the beautiful buildings of the ivy-league college. I got to bring Belle with me, which was extremely comforting. It was like bringing home with me. My first spring break in college was one I won't ever forget. Tanya, Joey, and I went to Cancun with some of our friends. I got so drunk one night I couldn't remember a thing. Then next morning I woke up to find a tattoo on my back. It was a pretty heart design. Tanya was just as drunk and Joey didn't even know what we had been doing.

When we got back, my whole life seemed to stop. My parents had died in a horrific car accident. My whole world came crashing down on me. I was suffocating. Blackness shrouded my once happy life. There was nothing left to live for. The only thing that kept me going was Tanya and Belle. Tanya spent every second with me. She was my replacement sun. And so begins the story of the greatest summer of my life.


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

The sun beat down through the moon roof of my Mercedes Benz. Summer break had just started. My first semester at Harvard was over and done with. Just seven more years to go until graduation. The thought made me feel like my whole life was going to be spent in school. The lifeless walls of the classrooms, the teachers boring lectures on cell structure and human anatomy. They still droned on and on in my head. It felt like I was sitting behind a desk writing down notes, instead of sitting behind the wheel of the most fabulous car in the world. Ugh. This was not the time to be thinking of school. Tanya and I had so much planned for this summer. School was done with, for a little while at least. That was all I could ask for. I shoved the school thoughts to the back of my head; where they would remain until school started again.

There were four cars in the employee parking lot when I pulled in. I worked as a waitress at Chili's. It wasn't a glamorous job, but it paid the bills. I didn't need the money. Being an only child was the benefit of that. I got my parent's enormous fortune. But it felt good to work for my own money. Life lessons, as my father would say. I parked my car and got out. The heat of the sunny June day beat down on my fair skin. My blond hair blew gently in the light breeze as I walked across the parking lot.

"Hey Jade," Tanya called as I walked through the door. The place was packed. Jeesh.

"Hi Tanya," I replied as I tied my apron around my waist.

"Aren't you so glad it's finally summer?" she asked me.

"Delighted," I said as sarcastically as I could in the presence of Tanya. She just emitted positivism and happiness like nothing else. Which was a good thing, if you looked at it the right way.

"Come on Jade, this summer's going to be a blast!" She bounced on her heels as I walked to my tables.

"Sure it is," I said, my mood darkening. Tanya let it drop at that and went to go wait her own tables.

"Hi my name is Jade and I'll be your waitress today," I said to my table, "What would you all like to drink?"

"Coke," said the only man at the table.

"Alright. I'll be right back with that," I said and then I darted off. I was not in the right mood to be dealing with customers right now. As soon as the cup was full, I rushed it back to the table.

"Here you go sir," I said as I placed the cup on the table, "Are you ready to order?"

"Yes. I'll have the grilled chicken with lettuce, tomatoes, and mayonnaise please. And if I could also get that with a side of your number that'll do it," he said.

"Sorry, we don't serve numbers here," I said as I wrote down his order. He looked like he was about to say something; but before he could, I darted off.

Around ten, the place finally cleared out.

"Finally," I sighed to Tanya as I leaned across the bar.  
"I thought we would never get cleared out," she replied.

"Me too. I got hit on by the first guy I waited on."

"You're too pretty Jadey," Tanya joked with me. Always trying to put me in a better mood.

"Thanks," I snorted.

We both finished cleaning up then we headed out back to sit on the little concrete steps that smelled like garbage. Joy. We both sat there in silence, just staring at the stars.

"Jade, I have a surprise for you," Tanya said, breaking the silence.

"What is it?" I asked, still staring up at the heavens.

"Close your eyes and hold out your hands," she instructed. I did as she told me too. There was no point in arguing anyways. She set something very light in them.

"Open your eyes now." I did and looked at what was in my hand. It was a blue envelope. I quickly ripped it open and pulled out a slip of paper. It was an airplane ticket to Greece.

"What is this?" I asked Tanya.

"It's a ticket," she said.

"I know that but it's to Greece. How did you get these?"

"I bought them," she said as if I was missing the obvious. My eyes bulged out of my head.

"What?" I gasped.

"I bought them," she repeated.

"How?" was all I could say.

"With my money," she said, stating the obvious again.

"How though? Plane tickets cost a fortune just in the U.S. How did you afford to buy these?"

"I worked double shifts at two jobs," she smiled. Tears pricked at my eyes.

"Tanya, this means the world to me," I gulped. The air hitched in my throat and the words came out weird.

"It's nothing," she shrugged.

"Where are they to exactly?" I asked.

"To Santorini. I'm sending you to see your grandparents." My mouth fell open with a pop. Of course I knew I had grandparents that lived there. That's where I had been born, but this surprised me. They hadn't spoken to us after we moved away.

"Don't worry. I called them and they said they couldn't wait to see you.' Again, words failed me.

"It'll be good for you, Jade," Tanya said. Tears sprang to my eyes and streamed down my cheeks.

"Thank you," I sobbed into her shoulder.

"That's what I'm here for," Tanya said, "We'd better get home. The plane leaves tomorrow morning."


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

"Are you sure you have everything?" Tanya asked me for the billionth time that morning. The airport was packed with summer travelers and we seemed to be right in the main stream of it. People stared as they stepped into the security line at Tanya and I. Tanya was bent over my bags, checking to make sure I had everything.

"Yes, I'm sure," I replied for the billionth time. She just ignored me and kept on checking. She stood up, locking her eyes on mine.

"I guess this is where I leave you," she said, her blue eyes shinning with unshed tears.

"I guess it is," I replied. My throat swelled up and my own eyes started to water.  
"I'll miss you, Jadey," Tanya cried as she captured me in a hug.

"I'll miss you to, Tanya," I choked as my own tears spilled over onto her shirt. Tanya's own tears soaked my neck.

"I promise I'll write often," I said.

"Okay," Tanya gulped. We stood like that for a few more minutes while passerby's stared at us.

"You better go," Tanya sniffed.

"Bye Tanya," I said as I stepped into the security line.

"Bye Jadey! Don't forget to write!"

"I won't!"

"Bye," Tanya called one last time.

"Bye," I said back. I turned a corner and lost sight of Tanya.

Once I couldn't see her anymore, it was hard to put one foot in front of the other. This could be a life-changing experience for me and I didn't even get to share it with my best friend. Maybe she wanted me to experience this by myself, but why?

The thought was shoved to the back of my mind when I got on the plane. A thrill of adrenalin and excitement pulsed through my veins. I was returning to my roots to see my grandparents. My seat was B-12 and I got it all to myself.

During the flight, I had more time to think about why Tanya had sent me by myself. My mind turned in endless circles, always ending up where I had started. After and hour of trying to produce an answer to this impossible question, I gave up and fell asleep.

When I woke up, I was in a different world. The plane was just flying over Santorini. I looked out the window and gasped. The scene was beautiful. The water shimmered in the late afternoon sunlight and the sky was a perfect, cloudless blue. The little town stood out most of all. The houses were all beautiful in their own unique way. It was built right into the cliff side. Most of the houses were white adobe, with different colored, domed roves.

The plane started to descend and another thrill shot through my veins. The plane shook as the landing gear hit pavement. My nerves were getting tighter and tighter every moment as the plane braked.

After what seemed like an hour, the plane taxied into its terminal. The first passengers started to un-board and my nerves wound even tighter.

"Come on!" I wanted to shout at the man in front of me who seemed to be taking an incredibly long time getting his laptop out of the overhead storage compartment.

Finally, he got out and moved down the aisle. I shot forward into the aisle, cutting off an old lady and her granddaughter. The grandmother started to say something to me, but I was already racing down the aisle. I hit the gate and felt my nerves come undone. Just as I took a deep breath, something dawned on me. I had no idea what my grandmother looked like. The breath hitched in my throat and my eyes bulged out of my head. My heart doubled in speed and I froze. People started staring and whispering. They probably thought that I was having an episode of some sort.

Just then, someone broke through the crowd. She had beautiful, long black hair and sun weathered skin.

"Ver is my granddaughter?" she asked in a thick Greek accent. I vaguely recognized her and that was enough to break my trance.

"Grandma!" I said as I ran to her.

"There you are!" she cried in her Greek accent that I loved. She wrapped me in a hug once I got to her. She sniffled a little bit as a tear slid down her cheek.

"Look at how beautiful you are, Jade!" she exclaimed, "Just look at you!" A heavy blush colored my cheeks.

"Thank you," I said.

'"Your grandfather von't hardly reckognize you," she smiled. My blush only deepened.  
"Let's get you home," she said as she guided me through the crowd to the baggage claim.

After we had collected my one suitcase, we stepped outside. The air was warm and the humidity made my hair stick to me face, but I loved it all the same. It felt like home.

"Taxi!" my grandma called. A cab driver pulled over and ushered us in. She quickly gave the driver directions to their house and we were on our way.

"You vill love the island," my grandma said when we were out on the main road.

"It's very beautiful," I commented. A trace of my old Greek accent was starting to creep back into my voice.

"Ve are having a party for vou tonight," she said, "Think of it as a velcome home party."

"Grandma, you didn't have to do that," I blushed.

"It vas no problem at all," she smiled, "All of the island boys vill be there. They are very nice boys, especially Calisto. He is like a grandson to your bapi and I."

"He sounds nice," I commented, not really paying attention. I had no desire to meet any boys right now.

"Oh! He is such a good boy!" She started telling me all about Calisto, but I hardly listened. My eyes drew in the beautiful sights outside the cab. Most of the houses had patios that were overflowing with flowers of all colors. Street venders were on every corner, selling unique food and different trades. Donkeys with parcels on their backs wound along the sidewalks. All of the buildings existed in perfect harmony, but they were all unique in their own ways. There was lots of exploring to do here.

"Ve are here," my grandma said as we pulled up outside a quaint white house.

"It's beautiful, grandma," I said. The patio was filled with all colors of flowers and even a few olive trees. There was a two-person table pushed against a wall and a flowerpot stood in the middle of it. Up above, there was a little balcony that was covered with even more plants. A double door led into a room.

"Beautiful," I murmured as I got out of the back of the cab. The cabbie set my bag on the side of the road then quickly drove away.

"Come inside, Jade," my grandma said as she grabbed my bag and wheeled it forward. I walked along behind her, admiring the beauty of the little house.

Once I stepped through the door, I gasped. The inside of the house was just as beautiful as the outside. The floor was made of light tikki wood. Natural light floated in from the windows, making the tikki look honey-colored. The mosaic tiles that composed the walls glinted in an array of colors from the sun's rays.

"Bapi!" I called when my grandfather stepped through the doorway.

"Jade," he said as I ran to give him a hug. He wrapped me up in his big, strong arms.

"I missed you, Bapi," I said.

"I missed you too, Jade. You have grown into a beautiful young lady," he smiled. His Greek accent was softer than my grandma's, more like my mothers and mine.

"Thank you, Bapi," I smiled and blushed.

"You look so much like your mother," he sighed, a glint of sadness in his turquoise eyes. I knew they knew about the accident.

"Jade, come see your room," my grandma said from the bottom of the stairs. She led the way up the tikki stairs to a small landing. There was a double door at the end of it.

"This used to be your mothers room," my grandma said as she opened the door. I stepped into the room behind her and gasped. It was spacious, to say the least. The floor was the same color tikki as the floor bellow. There was a French door on one side of the room that led out to the balcony. The walls were a darker shade of tikki. The quilt on the bed was an array of blues and greens and it reminded me off the ocean. The throw pillows matched it perfectly.

"It's beautiful," I gulped. Part of my mother was in this room and I could feel it.

"Your mother adored this room very much. She hoped one day, it would be yours." My eyes started to prick as unshed tears crowded them.

"Thanks," I said. My voice cracked.

"Vhy don't vou get ready for the party," she said as she slipped out the door. I fell onto the bed and let the tears take over. They spilled all over the quilt. My chest heaved up and down with aching sobs.

"I miss you mom."


End file.
